White Tiger

question and is a very powerful insult.
    Xuan Wu has changed over the centuries to become a human deity as well as the symbolic representation of the North; he has become the Dark Emperor Zhen Wu, the symbol of ultimate martial arts, the quintessential warrior. He was taken by the Ming Dynasty emperors as a patron and the Wudangshan Mountain complex was built in his honour. He is worshipped for his connection with water (thus the temple on Cheung Chau Island for Pak Tai) as well as his connection with martial arts.
    One of the Chinese classics, Journey to the North, is the story of Xuan Wu and how he overcame two demons, a snake and a turtle, and through many incarnations in pursuit of the Tao attained Immortality. In another classic, the Creation of the Gods, he is incarnated as a great human general, and at the end of the battle is rewarded for his valour by being granted Immortality and the title of Celestial General.
    The Chinese gods are more than static deities with fixed features. They are constantly evolving as stories are woven about them; they are considered to be alive and present in everyday affairs, involved in the running of the Universe and intervening whenever necessary. I hope that my novels will remain true to the storytelling tradition of this mythology, because I have nothing but the greatest respect for this wealth of wonderful beliefs, myths and legends.
    Kylie Chan, Brisbane, 2006

Suggested Further Reading
    Before I list some of the many sources that I waded through trying to find further information about the gods I used in my story, I should acknowledge one particularly useful resource that provided a great deal of my inspiration. It is a book called Chinese Gods, the Unseen World of Spirits and Demons by Keith Stevens. This huge glossy coffee-table type book is a meticulous cataloguing of the many gods the author encountered during his explorations through the temples of China and South East Asia. Although Chinese Gods is no longer in print, a more compact version called Chinese Mythological Gods by the same author is currently available from Oxford University Press and is listed in the suggested readings below.
    Another source that merits particular mention is the Washington State University website on Chinese History and Philosophy:
    www.wsu.edu:8080/~dee/CHPHIL/CHPHIL.HTM
    These brilliant, tautly written and deeply researched pages are a treasure-trove for those interested in either the history of China or the different religions practised in this part of Asia.
    Following is a (not exhaustive) list of some of the resources I referred to when creating this story.
General Reference
    A Chinese-English Dictionary, Beijing Foreign Language Institute, Beijing 1986.
    The Art of War, A New Translation, Sun Tzu, (translated by the Denma Translation Group), 5th ed, Shambhala Publications Inc, Boston 2001.
    Lillian Too’s Basic Feng Shui, Lillian Too, Konsep Books, Kuala Lumpur, 1997.
    The Right Word in Cantonese, Kwan Choi Wah, The Commercial Press, Hong Kong, 1996.
The Mythology
    Chinese Gods, the Unseen World of Spirits and Demons, Keith Stevens, Collins & Brown, London, 1997 (out of print).
    Chinese Mythological Gods, Keith G Stevens, 2nd ed, Oxford University Press, London, 2001.
    Dragon, compiled by Wang Congren, Hai Feng Publishing Co, Hong Kong, 1996.
    Discovering Kwan Yin, Sandy Boucher, 4th ed, Beacon Press, Boston, 1999.
    Phoenix, compiled by Wang Congren, Hai Feng Publishing Co, Hong Kong, 1996.
    White Tiger, compiled by Wang Congren, Hai Feng Publishing Co, Hong Kong, 1996.
    Xuan Wu, compiled by Wang Congren, Hai Feng Publishing Co, Hong Kong, 1996.
Taoism
    Daoism, A Short Introduction, James Miller, One World Publications, Oxford, 2003.
    Seven Taoist Masters, a Folk Novel of China, (translated by Eva Wong), 11th ed, Shambhala Publications Inc, Boston, 1990.
    Tales of the Taoist Immortals, Eva Wong, Shambhala Publications Inc, Boston, 2001.
    Tao Teh Ching, Lao Tzu (translated by John C. H. Wu), 8th ed, Shambhala Publications Inc, Boston, 1990.
    Taoism, Paul Wildish, Thorsons, London, 2000.
    The Shambhala Guide to Taoism, Eva Wong, 5th ed, Shambhala Publications Inc, Boston, 1997.
    The Spiritual Teachings of the Tao, Mark Forstater, Hodder & Stoughton, 2001.
    The Way of Chuang Tzu, Thomas Merton, New Directions, New York, 1965.

About the Author
    Twenty years ago Kylie Chan married a Hong Kong national in a traditional Chinese wedding ceremony in Eastern China. She and her husband